Recently, I was privileged enough to be invited to teach at a 3 day retreat for teenage girls in years 11 & 12. I had so much I wished to share with them. Usually, I have a term to work with teenagers, giving them experiences & tools to take home week to week. How could I give them all this in just two 90 minute workshops???
I googled, researched, talked to my teenaged daughter & wrote enough notes to put out a book (or two)! The more hours I spent on the computer, sitting hunched with my mind racing, the more I noticed I was experiencing some of what these girls must go through. So after almost a week of this I realised that if I didn’t help myself, how could I help these stressed out teens??? The yoga practices I was teaching them did come in handy, 10 minute breaks every hour (away from technology), exercise, belly breathing, bhramari, yoga nidra and so on. This helped enormously but each time I came back to the computer & all my notes I felt the stress & feelings of not being able to get it together build again.
On the day before the workshops I was setting up my music playlist whilst taking a walk. As I began to listen to the inspirational, motivational music I felt a shift. Out of the blue I began to cry. I felt the angst of being a teenager again, the stress, the uncertainty, the pressure of deadlines & the vulnerability. I suddenly realised that I had been coming at these workshops in a very analytical way. My head was dominant and my heart was in its shadow. In that moment the music had dropped me straight from my mind into my heart. A place where creativity, acceptance & love could overcome the judemental, critical & analytical state I had been experiencing. Once home, within an hour or two my workshops were finished & what we couldn’t make time for in class was clearly & simply written up in hand outs.
That night I slept soundly, and the workshops were received with bright eyes, playful participation & a recognition of worthwhile skills learnt to support & nurture them through their last months in high school.
A hug & words of ‘we’ll book you for next year…’ was my parting interaction with the teacher who ran the retreat. So I ask myself…“what will they be teaching me next year?”………